This invention relates to automotive wheels and paricularly to wheels to be fitted to small vehicles, such as motorcycles and tricycles.
When a filling valve of a bent shape (L shape), extending generally toward an outer side of a wheel is fitted to the bottom wall of a rim to whose periphery a tire is fitted, it is desirable to provide means for supporting the filling valve by giving seat-like support. Such support will resist external forces acting thereon such as those encountered while filling the tire with air. This is because the L-shaped filling valve is longer, as compared to filling valves of other shapes.
The object of this invention is to provide means for supporting such a filling valve, thereby effectively reducing the influence of external force acting on the filling valve.
This object is accomplished by forming integrally with the bottom wall of a wheel rim a protective projection. This projection is fitted to the rim bottom wall and located adjacent to both sides of the valve, in the peripheral or circumferential direction of the filling valve, where such a valve extends in a bent shape toward a side of the wheel.
Specifically, the invention herein presented contemplates individually significant aspects as follows.
The first aspect relates to an automotive wheel comprising:
wheel rim means having bottom wall means; PA1 a filling valve; and PA1 a protection projecting means formed integrally with bottom wall means of the rim means; PA1 the protective projection means being located adjacent to opposite sides, in the circumferential direction, of the filling valve; and PA1 the filling valve being fitted to the rim bottom wall means and extending generally radially inwardly and then generally laterally of said bottom wall means. PA1 tab-like flange means projecting in a cantilever manner from the rim means. PA1 bifurcated extremity means defining a concave support seat PA1 transversely receiving a portion of the filling valve; the seat being disposed circumferentially between a pair of circumferentially spaced, wheel exhausted ports; and the seat defining a filling location for the wheel relative to the wheel and cover means thereof.
A related further aspect of the foregoing concept entails an automotive wheel wherein the protective projection means comprises:
Additionally, such an automotive wheel as defined above may further comprise projection means including
In describing the invention by way of example, but not by way of limitation, reference will be made to a presently preferred embodiment shown in the appended drawings.